Chapter 917: To Wear the Crown

A rough plan certainly exists.

After all, Pokémon have different habitat needs depending on their types.

Sweeping a hand to plant everything with vegetation is convenient.

But not all Pokémon require such an environment; some might even be harmed by it.

Therefore.

N hopes to first walk through this entrance corridor, then sit down and talk properly.

After all, the corridor is pitch-black—even moonlight can't penetrate it.

Crowned Crowned Deer refused.

"Let's get to work first."

Crowned Deer Elder is kind-hearted; he can't bear to see Pokémon suffer, so he came here to distribute food.

Talk?

Nothing worth talking about.

Seeing this, N had no choice but to send Solrock to fetch something.

"Awooo!"

The little fox scampered off happily.

When it returned, it was followed by countless Pokémon.

Among them was Darmanitan, its eyebrows like twin flames, glowing with light.

Though this creature is modeled after an ape, in the darkness it looked round and plump, almost like a wild boar.

"Umm~"

Solrock lifted its head, a short silver rod clenched in its mouth.

N smiled and took it, pulling open a translucent, glowing blue screen like silk fabric.

It displayed a bird's-eye view of Pokémon Paradise—northeastern Oure.

Undoubtedly.

Among the remnants of Plasma Team were not only bank balances and real estate, but also black-tech inventions created by their internal research team.

N did not sell them all, but wisely used a small portion.

"All recorded here…"

He whispered to All All Baimu, outlining the regional layout.

Direct communication with Crowned Crowned Deer would be more efficient, but based on N's years of experience with Pokémon, the creature's eyes showed no sign of his presence.

It wasn't that it was arrogant.

From his observations, Crowned Crowned Deer mostly stared at All All Baimu beside it, occasionally glancing around at the surroundings.

Add to that its earlier words.

N believed this was a Pokémon of extreme pride, devoted solely to one heart.

To restore its strength, he brought it back to Oure.

How much effort had All All Baimu put in?

"... Please."

He solemnly offered his portable computer, his dim eyes unusually gentle.

In recent years,

N often felt grateful for two things: one, that he came to the Oure region; two, that he forged a friendship with All All Baimu.

Many humans care for Pokémon, but how many truly wander far and wide to secure their survival?

Two trips out, two trips back.

Each time, he brought to Oure and its struggling wild Pokémon a power akin to divine intervention!

"Don't worry."

All All Baimu nodded to reassure N, then, based on the markings on the screen, instructed Crowned Crowned Deer on how to wield its power.

Logically,

N's demands were far simpler than his—just two things:

Forests on mountains, crops on plains.

The latter was especially vital.

After all, the greatest challenge wild Pokémon faced in Oure was food scarcity.

The land here was simply too barren.

Desertification was extreme.

Without supernatural power, edible plants planted here had extremely low survival rates.

In the early stages of environmental restoration, the Rescue Organization could only transport hardy seedlings—drought-resistant, salt-tolerant, nutrient-poor-adapted—and dared not start from seeds.

Even the Creation Folk could only slowly transform desert land through external effort.

But.

Crowned Crowned Deer could make grass and flowers sprout from the soil and render the earth fertile.

Turning vast deserts into precious black soil in an instant.

Squatting down, clutching a handful, it felt as if oil could be squeezed out.

Perhaps Pokémon-world black-tech could achieve this, but the manpower, resources, and time required would be staggering.

Crowned Crowned Deer needed only to raise its right hand.

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for life.

From now on,

N's wish was fulfilled: wild Pokémon would take firm root on this land.

"Take care."

The compassionate Crowned Deer suddenly offered a kind warning.

As the words faded,

Rustling sounds and intermittent tremors came from all directions.

N and Solrock and the other Pokémon looked around, feeling as if they had instantly moved from a desert to a primeval forest.

Only by witnessing it firsthand could one grasp its might!

N's dim eyes flickered with a faint glow; he said to Solrock, "Go. Don't keep them waiting."

"Umm!"

Solrock leapt joyfully toward the valley's depths.

The other Pokémon exchanged glances, then eagerly chased after.

Moments later,

Distant cries echoed from the valley's depths, loud and chaotic.

All All Baimu felt puzzled, then learned that the Pokémon N thought had long slept were actually awake.

It was because Solrock, that clever little trickster, had spread the news.

And N, to help Crowned Crowned Deer gain faith, had already whispered its name into every Pokémon's ears.

The "Savior" was coming—how could they sleep?

"Good. Get up for a midnight snack."

He smiled.

Crowned Crowned Deer's power could bring crops to peak ripeness instantly—their flavor was best when picked at that very moment.

As he thought this, a faint fruity scent reached his nose.

All All Baimu turned and searched for a long while, but only spotted a small shrub growing at the base of a cliff.

He plucked a berry-like fruit, resembling a raspberry, and tasted it.

"Mmm~ Tart and sweet. Try some?"

"Thank you."

N did not refuse.

The Child of Pokémon was in high spirits; the long-standing burden on him had been lifted, and now came nothing but enjoyment—

No.

He needed to talk with the Rescue Organization about regional planning.

Even as an idealist, N had to accept reality.

For example, he wanted wild Pokémon to spread across all of Oure—but then, trainers would inevitably capture them.

He could only silently accept it; there seemed to be nothing else he could do.

As N drifted in thought,

"It's done."

Crowned Crowned Deer declared solemnly.

The blue aura surrounding it slowly dimmed; its flowing white cloak settled still.

The distant commotion did not subside—it grew louder.

Even bright lights began to glow.

"Clear skies?"

All All Baimu had always been especially sensitive to the nature of techniques, and immediately identified the source of the light.

He turned to N with a flicker of his eyes: "Go ahead, we'll wander around ourselves. We've been here before—no need for you as a guide."

"... Alright."

N glanced at the expressionless Regigigas, nodded, and led away the remaining Pokémon.

Sometimes his mere presence could calm agitated Pokémon.

You couldn't help but admit it.

Seeing no one around.

All All Baimu said to Regigigas: "Why are you so cold? You made N feel awkward."

He'd held it in all this time.

You're cold toward the Barza siblings fine—but cold toward N too? Are you even a Pokémon?!

'I am aloof?'

Regigigas was puzzled; it had merely adopted the attitude it used when meeting humans in the past.

Perhaps it needed adjustment?

Regigigas began to reflect on itself—mainly because this was All All Baimu's objection.

One person and three Pokémon walked deeper into the valley.

Not long after.

As if passing through a gateway.

Before them stretched a vast, open mountainous expanse.

Above, countless brilliant orbs floated in the sky, collectively illuminating the night Pokémon Park.

The chaos below became especially noticeable.

Wild Pokémon are wild Pokémon—without human control, it was impossible to quickly establish the calm order found only in civilized societies.

Regigigas's power brought both blessing and unrest.

Just like Platinum Mountain during the day.

But the Pokémon in the Park were hundreds of times more numerous, and the resulting chaos multiplied proportionally.

Thus, in All All Baimu's view, not only was dust swirling everywhere, but colorful beams of light occasionally shot across in all directions.

"Could this be a case of good intentions backfiring..."

His heart grew uneasy.

He had wanted to free the Pokémon in the Park early, to give them a surprise—so he had rushed here overnight.

Who knew...

Even N couldn't calm them down?

I should've taken it slow!

Too obsessed with efficiency!

All All Baimu sighed, not blaming N entirely—he knew the smooth success at Platinum Mountain that day had made him lose vigilance.

'No major issue.'

Regigigas scanned the Pokémon Park with its psychic energy and said: "I will mediate. You may wander freely—I will find you."

The young Crowned Deer had a strong sense of responsibility; it did not want the Park to suffer because of it, even if it saw the problem as minor.

"Go—wait!"

Before All All Baimu finished speaking, Spiritomb had already neighed and charged forward.

"Whoa!!"

It and Regigigas merged into a streak of black mist, shooting forward at incredible speed.

Charizard hurriedly flapped its wings to chase, but quickly lost them.

"Shi?"

It couldn't believe it—its three heads swiveled in every direction, then lifted to sniff the air for their scent.

But the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Clearly, until now, Black Horse King had truly revealed its full speed.

All All Baimu had no choice but to let Charizard wander first, to see if there was anywhere it could help.

And as it wandered.

He realized the unrest was caused only by a small fraction of wild Pokémon—most were joyfully gathering food.

All All Baimu spotted a scene and moved to intervene, but someone in Plasma Team attire had already stepped in.

To better aid the Pokémon in the Park, N had summoned like-minded individuals from around the world.

These people were one of the main reasons the Park had endured this long.

He wandered further.

All All Baimu finally relaxed.

"Looks like I worried for nothing."

He had feared his good intentions had caused harm—but thankfully, with these people around, the Park would soon return to calm.

——

As All All Baimu had thought.

Though Spiritomb and Regigigas were nowhere to be found.

When he found N, the valley had returned to complete stillness.

The green-haired young man was now helping group after group of Pokémon transport harvested fruits and vegetables to a certain location.

"Couldn't you have done this tomorrow morning?"

All All Baimu asked in surprise.

N wiped sweat from his brow and smiled: "Everyone refuses to stop—how could I just stand by?"

"... You're amazing."

He raised his thumb in disbelief.

N sometimes obeyed Pokémon too obediently, appearing almost foolish—despite being a genius with exceptional intellect in math and physics.

Of course.

Considered from another angle.

Perhaps N was sharing in the Pokémon's joy—he truly saw them as friends, and thus chose not to consider objective rationality.

Just as many people behave absurdly childish when playing with childhood friends.

And N—he

Was precisely that stubborn, naive,

Yet ever-heartfelt boy who always carried Pokémon in his heart, treating them as cherished companions.

All All Baimu didn't interrupt his foolishness, asked if he knew Regigigas's whereabouts, and upon receiving a negative answer, quickly left.

"My King! Why are you running off everywhere?!"

He gripped Charizard's bristled fur, thought carefully, and decided to head to N's residence—

The former Shadow Secret Factory.

It had once been a factory where Team Shadow transformed Dark Pokémon.

N rescued the Pokémon here, then repurposed it into a base.

Now, it bore no resemblance to its former appearance under Team Shadow's rule.

Not only had the purple-black wastewater below returned to clarity, but the two black chimneys on either side were now completely covered in dense vines.

The factory's main structure had transformed from a diamond-shaped compound of two pyramids into a multi-story Victorian-style mansion.

N, his two sisters, and the volunteers he'd gathered all lived here.

All All Baimu had stayed here for one night.

In terms of luxury, there was no denying it—no surprise, given it was the accumulated wealth of N's adoptive father, Kureshi.

"Well then!"

All All Baimu spotted Spiritomb from afar.

The black horse stood in the front courtyard, where countless stone pillars sank beneath still water, "gazing" at the calm surface in deep thought.

Regigigas was nowhere to be seen.

Charizard landed.

Sensing All All Baimu's approach, Spiritomb immediately turned, slipped over silently, and rubbed its muzzle against him.

"Whoa~"

"Where's Regigigas? Why did you come here?!"

He gripped the horse's face, looked around—but saw no trace of Regigigas.

Spiritomb swung its head toward the mansion, "Neigh~ neigh~"

Inside?

All All Baimu froze slightly.

In his memory, Regigigas had a history of breaking into places—it had wandered through the Water Tower on Armor Island before.

Could it have gone in again out of curiosity?!

All All Baimu winced, deciding that when Regigigas came out, he'd give it a proper lecture on human societal rules!

Unexpected.

When Reiguanwang emerged, it was accompanied by N's sister—Helen, the woman with yellow hair.

Simultaneously, a crown and a scepter floated beside it.

"All All Baimu!"

Reiguanwang increased its flight speed upon seeing him.

Helen smiled and gracefully greeted, "Long time no see, All All Baimu!"

All All Baimu nodded in greeting and asked, "What is this?"

"This is a gift—the crown and scepter of a former royal house from Unova. I believe they suit you perfectly."

Reiguanwang puffed out its chest.

It thought the crown resembled its bud, and All All Baimu wearing it would look exceptionally handsome.

"Try it?"

All All Baimu: "..."

Where is it suitable?!

Though it was obvious at a glance that this was an exceptionally valuable antique, he truly couldn't appreciate...

Sigh.

Fine.

Seeing Reiguanwang's slightly hopeful gaze, he reached out, took the crown, and placed it on his head.

"H-How does it look?"

"I think it suits you well!"

Reiguanwang nodded enthusiastically.

Helen smiled gracefully, without a hint of rudeness.